A Princely Reward
by jennii.b
Summary: Prince Caspian X, with his coming of age, is under the pressures of a liege to wed and produce heirs. His parents, before their deaths, had begun negotiations to that end. Now the choice is Caspian's...to follow through on promises half made or to follow his own heart and retain his freedom.
1. Chapter 1: Making Connections

"What would you be doing now if you were at home?" Caspian asked the younger daughter.

She shrugged, one smooth shoulder barely glimpsed beneath the wrap she'd snuggled into. He'd not failed to notice that she'd shrugged it on at the sound of his boots. It was like she needed it as a shield.

"Tell me," he urged, his voice dropping a bit. "I want to know. You seem unhappy here." At her frantic head shaking he held up his hand. "I know you're not acting like it, but your smiles don't seem genuine. Your enthusiasm is too great for whatever suggestion is made. Tell me what _you_ do when you're at home."  
The girl before him bit her lip, then looked him in the eye. "I attend to my lessons. I spend time with the kitchen and housekeeping staff so that I am familiar with the ways my aunt runs a household. There's always mending and sewing that can be done and my needlework is good and clever. I can sing and play several instruments. I dance well...you know that already..."

"I do. And I heard the piccanario last night. Is it possible that the music was wroght by your fingers?"

She shrugged again.

"Did someone ask you to play or did you do so for pleasure?"

"I enjoy playing sometimes, My Lord."

"It seemed sweet music. And heartfelt. I sat long by my window when I should have been attending to my own duties. The accounts and business of the castle fall behind in this maddness."

She smiled at his description. Maddness indeed it seemed. He liked the look of her with the true smile in place.

"What did you do when your chores were done or when they seemed too many and you needed to run away?"

"I haven't run away in a long, long time, My Lord. There are _always _duties. And if not there is still someone in need of my attention. It would not be proper-"

"Fine," he agreed. "But what did you do when you _did_ run away? Where do you go when you have a few minutes of your own and no one is there to disapprove?"

Loden dropped her eyes. Her hands were clutched tightly in the soft fabric that pooled on her lap.

Caspian couldn't bear it any longer. "I want to make you happy," he whispered. "I want you to enjoy something. To laugh easily. To shake off whatever shackles you've been chained with and just be yourself."

"I am a younger child of a house noble but without land of our own, My Lord. My pleasure is in _not_ causing trouble and _not_ drawing notice to myself."

He cocked his head and tried another tact. "You force me to deception, milady. I will simply have to haunt your footsteps until you tell me. I shall have to ransack your rooms and find what books you tuck beneath your pillow-which ones bear stains and creases from many secret readings. And I will have to spy out what comforts you take when no one is looking. It will be a hard duty, I fear, but one I must undertake in my quest."

Loden laughed-a self-depreciating laugh to Caspian's ear. "I love your accent, Prince," she admitted.

"And I yours," he told her. "I love hearing you when you're speaking softly and I much desire to hear more of your laughter. I like the way your voice becomes deeper when you speak of someone's great deeds and when you offer praise to those around you. It carries much weight, those words of admiration. Already my household vies to win some word of approval from you."

She shook her head and he watched the sun catch the braids and twirls of the brown silk twined around her head. He'd yet to see it flow freely. He wondered if her keepers kept it pinned tightly even when she slept.

"You brought horses, did you not?" he asked.

"I did. We breed strong horses in my land, My Lord. It was determined that a number of these should accompany me as part of the arrangement between your parents and mine."

"Are any of the ones that accompanied your party an especial favorite?" Caspian asked.

Loden's eyes lit up, then carefully banked. Her voice became quiet and secret and she tilted her face so that he could not read her expression. "Are you asking me to go riding, Sire?" she said so softly that he could barely hear her.

"I'm sorry," he teased. He tucked his fingers beneath her chin and urged her face back up. "I can't hear you when you slouch like that. Perhaps you'd care to-"

The expression she wore stopped his mouth and he tasted his words like ash. She looked anguished. And it broke his heart. He dropped his hand immediately and rose to pace a few steps away.

"We're to be married at the end of the month, milady," he said sharply. "I wished to cause you no pain. I need to know you better. Not these pat replies and nonanswers-the _real_ you. I meant my words as a joke. It was a poor one. So now I am left to ask yet another question that you will no doubt dodge as cagily as all the others I've asked. Are you afraid of riding-is that why you look thusly-or are you afraid of letting someone know that you deeply desire to ride?"

Loden swallowed hard, worked any remaining emotion off her face, and spoke aloud. "I enjoy horses very much, My Lord."

"_Thank God_," Caspian sighed. His eyes were sharp when he met hers. "Who told you that you must please me? Who taught you to hide your desires and your interests?"

"Again, My Lord, I will remind you that my place in any household is tenuous. My stepsister will serve at our own king's court. My parents and yours arranged a possible merger between our houses long before your uncle's treachery. When your own father was first in line instead of king himself. None knew then what would befall. So while my parents' treasures and courtly worth were kept in readiness, that security now lies on different shoulders."

"If you are so inclined I would love to have you accompany me tomorrow. We can leave early, I can have the kitchen prepare a meal for us, and you can spend the entire day away from this castle and all the people who seek to subjugate your own true self."

Loden dropped her face again. But she nodded. Enthusiastically she nodded. It called to something in Caspian that he couldn't explain. He vascilated between wanting to shake her or smack her or knock her head against the wall to wanting desperately to protect her. He wanted to shock her into revealing the true _her_ that had all but been bred out of her. How he knew it was there he couldn't articulate-even to his friends and bretheren who thought him engaged to a milksop lass-but he saw it shining beneath. And he was determined to find out.

To offer what reassurance he could he dropped to his knee and covered her hands with his. "I indent to honor my parent's agreement," he whispered. She didn't look up to meet his eyes. He pressed the quickest of kisses to her soft, white knuckle. "In very few days I will be Caspian to you and you will be Loden-unless there is some other name you prefer. A pet name or something special?"

She shook her head and he felt the tear fall onto his knuckle. It burned there, like a wall between them. Her cheeks flamed with the shame of losing her control in front of him. "I am grateful," she said carefully. "For both the offer...and for the pledge."

"It is a relief to you?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Because you need a place to belong and you might as well belong here?"

The question surprised her enough that she looked up. He cursed beneath his breath as he reached up to palm both cheeks clear of her tears. "Is it wrong to want to stay here rather than go back?" she asked.

"I only asked why."

"I like it here, My Lord. I like it very much."

Caspian felt the tremble run over her at the words. He didn't like to imagine what circumstances caused her to fear letting others know what she enjoyed and desired and hoped. It made an unreasonable fire inside him that demanded he break the beings responsible.

"What time do you want to leave in the morning?" he asked thickly.

"I cannot go, My Lord," she said, looking into his deep eyes. "No," she insisted at his expression of denial. "In my land a lady does not-"  
"In my land no one cares if you want to go riding. If you have knees and ankles and wrists we'll make it work. You are to be my wife, Loden. The keeper of my house when duty calls me elsewhere. The one to whom the populace will look for what is right and what is wrong. Forget what was acceptable in your aunt's close-minded brain. Decide what is acceptable to those in _your_ land. If you want to ride, we ride. Now. What hour suits you?"

Loden laughed at him. At his pique and at his persistence. Her eyes shone and he swore he'd have reason to make them shine much more often. "I can be ready the first minute after midnight if we must wait until tomorrow. Failing that, whenever your lordship calls."

Caspian smiled back at her. It was a tempting idea. Still, he needed a few hours to make his plays. They should in good conscience ride with a full hunt-for propriety's sake.

"Are you a strong rider, My Lord?" she asked tentatively. "I mean-truly?"

Caspian nodded as he stood again. She stood with him and he realized that she'd been sitting watching the stable yard.

"One of the stallions we brought with us, Gilgabar," she pointed. "He is truly a worthy mount. Proud, but steady."

"The black prancing as though he were about to be crowned High King of Narnia instead of I?" Caspian clarified.

Loden nodded. "He is beautiful, no? No one could resist his charms. Look at how he hordes the ladies. All of them-yours and ours. You will have to keep him away from your own stallions. But if you'd like, you could order him saddled for yourself tomorrow."

Caspian ducked his eyes sideways at her. She still watched the antics of the big male in the yards below. He would take her advice. Indeed, if the business of nonsense had not been deemed so pressing by his advisors he'd have already worked the animal himself.

"After the fast is broken tomorrow," he decided. "That gives us a full day to do what we like. And to test the paces of our new stablemates. Yes?"

She nodded eagerly, smiling up at him again.

_I am lost_, he thought miserably. It might take him decades to gain her full trust, but he would do so. Or die trying.

"He was yours, wasn't he?"

She nodded again. "The runt of twin-born stallions. His mother and sire both were prize-winners. He was shoved to teh side almost from the beginning because of weak legs and a wheezy chest."

"His chest looks not wheezy to me."

Now the head shook slowly. "He is stronger than his brother. Not faster, although he can run farther and longer. His brother is snow white. And more formidable. He is barely tame."

"Where is the brother?"

Loden shrugged. "I do not know. I was allowed to keep Gilgabar because he was thought to be worthless. Once he'd grown a bit and matured a bit he was proven otherwise and returned to the main herd."

"So he's been coddled his whole life and led soft and sweet by a lady's hand?" Caspian teased.

His companion grinned. "He is my first love, Sire. I was a little girl of eleven when I took him to me. He would have been put down. Luckily for us both the stablehand was an indulgent master. He pities us both I think."

Caspian nodded and reached out to squeeze her arm. "I will see you this evening," he promised. "And sleep well with thoughts of tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2: Approval of Him What Matters

Eschewing the confines of insipid conversation in the afternoon tea room, Caspian went in search of the stablemaster who had accompanied his guests. If his bride to be was coddled by the man than Caspian would seek out her cares and her triumphs from that source. It seemed an easier way to gain the knowledge he wanted.

The man was as gruff as to be expected. And he was speaking in cooing voice to Caspian's own mount when the young prince found him.

"Got the Lady Loden-Green to open up a bit if she told you about yon princeling," the man spat out. He looked the young man up and down. Caspian was unused to the sensation of being measured. And he had the distinct impression he'd been found wanting. "How good a hand do you have?"

"I ride very well. I can handle a pleasure horse or a war steed. Handily," he said tightly.

Runner snorted. "Sure, but can you _manhandle_, say, a rough horse or one with a hard mouth or a streak of stubborn? Do you know whether to use a whip or a bootspur on a difficult horse? You can ride one's already been tamed, but do you do any of the breaking yourself young master? Can you break one to fear your reprisals if the beast should get out of line?"

Caspian's jaw worked side to side. "I use neither and if you'd feel the whip you've only to take one to any animal in my protection," Caspian ground out. "I've never _broken_ any in my service. I have no desire to do so, nor to own such."

"Hunh," the older man grunted. He turned around to return to his task. His strong back rippled as he hefted hay himself-a chore many in his position would have left to a lesser employee. "Suppose you tell me how you intend to take care of the strong-willed if you don't show 'em who's in charge."

Caspian's hiss of frustrated rage was music to the man's ears. He was glad he'd turned away from the lad as he fought back a grin and a laugh.

The younger man's accent deepened in his anger. The older listened hard to the words he spat out. "You go gently, old man. You teach trust rather than fear. You become partners with the animal's spirit, so that pleasing each other pleases the other. It takes time, not a rod-and certainly not steel. I am in command because of my position. But the horse is an equal partner. It is his life, too, that hangs in the balance if his duty is war. And his happiness if his duty is less brutal. But either require a willing participant, not a slave of whip or spur. And I swear this, if I find evidence of mistreatment on any creature under my roof it'll be _your _back that feels the lash. Do you understand me?"

When Runner turned around, his brow arched at the superiority in the tone of voice, Caspian had drawn himself up. He looked a man then. A king to be obeyed. A force with which to reckon. Runner's response was another grunt. He stuck out his hand.

"Your pardon, majesty," he said in a kinder voice. He bowed over the hand that Capsian took out of reflex. "I needed to test your mettle. It's a rare filly you've got locked in your tower up there. A strong soul in a tender shell. She'll take a bit of handling now and then. And she'll drive you mad. But if you work it around right, you've got the treasure of her heart. Probably the first to truly have her heart."

"How can you let her live as she has?" Caspian asked. "If you love her, how could you stand for her to be raised so that she's turned into this timid little mouse?"

Runner shook his head. "She's no mouse, My Lord. She's a woman who has a need. When men raise their fists and rebel and fight, women tough it out. They're stronger than you think. And I've allowed her what sanctuary I could. Made a place for her to bury her troubles and taught her to ride so that she can lose them when she can slip away. She's got a better seat than most of the knights in her uncle's service. Most of yours, too, for that matter. And you wonder, when you want to cast blame, what would have become of her if I _had_ gone to my betters and demanded they see her. She should have been a boy. That's the sad fact of the matter. For all she cares about fancy work and kitchen woes, she should have been a second son of a lesser house so that she could go out and make her own way. But fate put her in corsets and skirts and she's had to deal with them ever since."

"I'm taking her riding tomorrow," Caspian told him. There was resignation in his voice. "She suggested I ride Gilgabar."

"That'll be fun, with all those ladies and lords about to ensure you're taking no liberties. A nice, slow nag you'll need, not my lady's fine lad out there."

"Trust me, old man," the boy said evenly. "You saddle her horse and one to match his mettle. I'll take care of ridding myself of the rest of the field. She'll get her day of freedom."  
Runner considered. He'd taken a shine to a couple of the royal house's cattle. "I like the looks of yon mare," he gestured. Caspian approved of the three-year-old as well. "Seems challenging enough. And, ga'w, but she's a sweetheart. Will she run with the stallion without spooking?"

Caspian nodded. "She will. And she's sure-footed and wild-born. She's up to running through fen and wood. She'll do nicely for Loden if she's got as steady a seat and hand as you lead me to believe."

Runner bristled again and turned around. "Loden, My Lord?"

The young king's brow arched again. "She'll be in my bed at the end of the month, Horsemaster. Yes, I'll call her Loden. And mark my words-in private at least-by the end of tomorrow's journey she'll be easy with my name, too."

Caspian caught the man's words to the horse as he turned and walked away. "That'll be some mighty frigid day in cold, my sweet one. Yes it will. That boy-child there has a bit more to learn of young ladies, doesn't he, my precious? Might almost be good enough for our girl, yes, ma'am. He might just be okay..."


	3. Chapter 3: Rushing Forth

Loden, bedecked in a cloak against the cool morning, breathed a sigh of contentment as she wandered into the stables the next morning. The party's mounts were being brought out, rubbed down, and saddled up. She gave Runner a quick smile and ran her hand lightly over his back where he worked.

"The Crown Prince Caspian said you okayed him to ride Gilgabar, Missy," the old man said.

"I did. I want to see them together."

"That boy's half in love with you," the older man warned. "If you're going to run, today would be the best day. I've put some extras in your saddle bags. A bit of coin and a bite or two. I'll tuck an extra blanket beneath both your horse and his. Try to take your boy if you can. That colt sure would miss you if you left him behind. Better if you could get the prince off on ya'll's own and then get away with both horses. Yours will follow you, so stay on his. But it's best if you cut this short if you're going. And I think you should go. There's lands up North that don't care whether you're noble born or not. With the two of them you'd be well off for stock breeding or training or-"

Loden bit her lip and considered. "I hear what you're saying and I know it's true. But I can't, Pappi. I just can't. There's a fortune riding on this marriage. There are people depending on that fortune. People I like and respect. _My_ people."

Runner hissed. "I'll leave my plan as it is anyway. You never know."

"You never know what?" Caspian said cheerfully, his long arms swinging as he strode down the long walkway.

Loden let the horse at her side bite and shove at the bit while she watched him. Gilgabar chortled in his throat and stuck in nose in her cape looking for treats. She had one, of course. She'd taken an apple from the sideboard in the breakfast room. She offered the small, ripe fruit to the horse now and caressed his long face. Caspian felt a moment's jealousy. _Of a horse!_ he chided himself. _You're jealous of a four-legged dumb beast! Get a grip!_

"You're going to tell me all your secrets today," he said confidently, leaning down to kiss the animal's black nose. The white square on his chest moved as he bellowed and grunted and shook. Runner winked at the girl and moved on. "You're up early, Loden."

"Yes, My Lord. I am an early riser. And, with the anticipation of the day's ride, I couldn't lie abed any longer."

Her companion looked slyly out of the corner of his eyes, then stuck out his hand. "Hi. We've met before, but you've forgotten my name. I'm Caspian. It's really not that hard to pronounce. Even if you don't have my sexy accent."

Loden rolled her eyes. "You're going to flirt today, My Lord? I didn't realize or I'd have worn my fluttering boots. Or at least brought a fan and a hankie."

"Try it, Loden. Cas-pi-an."

She arched her brow and turned her attention back to the horse. She'd snugged the bridle and was fastening it before Caspian realized that the animal had purposefully dipped his head so that she had easier access. _Training or mutual affection_?

"It's My Lord, Prince, or Sire until your coronation. Then it'll be King or M'Liege or Majesty or some such like that."

"Even in bed?" he asked. His gaze skimmed over her. Purposefully. He'd yet to really behold her. She tended to be cold-natured, neccessitating wraps and shawls and cloaks. He frowned as he realized that he'd never seen her not wrapped up. The only time she loosened the hold on her wrap was when she danced and even then teh damned thing was draped over her arms-to be quickly replaced when the music paused. The idea that he'd never seen her and yet had _felt_ her jnagled through his blood and made his head pound. He swallowed back the thought and focused on his plan.

"We'll find out, won't we, Sire?" she threw back over her shoulder. In the dim light of the stable her smile glowed free and happy.

Two hours later she still smiled, although it was beginning to wear thin. They'd only been plodding along for a short while. The rest of the group trailed behind them, restful and joyful as holiday makers.

"Are you not sweltering beneath that coat?" the young king asked. He was overly warm in the many layers a court appearance demanded in his society.

"I'm fine, thank you. Are you enjoying the outing?"

"We should have called it a hunt instead of a ride," Caspian whispered to Loden. "May I call you Lo?"

"Not if you want me to answer, My Lord," she smiled back.

He threw his head back and let his laugh ring out. A quick glance back at her aunt let Loden see a glimmer of approval. The evil witch. She just wanted her married off so she could cash in the bride-price and move on. Plus there were bragging rights to having a relative married to an alliegance's leige.

"Why are you frowning?" Caspian's own face fell and he looked behind them. He studied the group, then shifted in his saddle to take in teh riders around them. "Will you be all right if I up the pace? Will he?" He patted Gilgamar's sturdy neck.

"Yes and yes, Prince. And so will most of the field. You mount your guests well."

"He'll trust me if I take him into the woods? Trust my hand to guide even when he's uncertain of the terrain?"

Concern flooded her eyes. "My Lord, there is little of worth to me...little for whom I care so much as that horse. If-"  
"I would never risk another's neck needlessly. I am guilty of wanting some time with you-where you can be just you. I would never take chances with you or yours. I know the terrain. _She_ knows the terrain. Will you and your lad here have enough faith to follow? Are you secure enough in your seat to try for it?"

Loden's face was impassive. Her eyes were quiet. Just quiet, he decided. Not guarded. It was a nice change.

"I'm a very good rider. He's a good horse. If you anticipate a jump give him a double tap with your right knee. It'll let him know to gather for it."

Caspian's face bloomed into good spirits. He turned, the feral smile in place, and kicked her stallion even as he whistled through his teeth. "Haaa! Haaa, Benth, haaa!"

Loden ducked low over the mare's neck as the animal's strong muscles bunched and then exploded. She closed her eyes for just a moment to enjoy the sensation of flying over the grassland. She saw Caspian slew his weight to one side and anticipated Benth's echoing turn. He guided the animals around a soft rise in the land, then up a slope and through a rockier glade. She glanced back at the highest vantage to see some of the others racing after them.

"I chose them all," Caspian panted to her. "Trust me more, okay?"

Loden turned back to catch him watching her and nodded. He spurred his horse once more and she was quick to nudge Benth along a bit, too. She saw trees grow thicker to her left, then suddenly Caspian turned aside, ducking straight into them. She shouted her joy as Benth plunged in, too. For nearly an hour they raced, until the horses were well and truly winded and the riders shared their racing hearts and loose limbs. Caspian slowed Gilgabar's stide until they were walking, then slid off to lead the animal.

"Here," he offered as she drew up beside him. "Let me assist you, My Lady." His hands reached up for her. It was the opportunity Runner had sought for her. It was why his life savings was tucked in her saddle bag and he'd padded the horse's gear with an extra blanket and maps. She said a silent prayer, then gave the reins to the man beside her. He'd asked trust of her. She'd give him that.

Caspian saw the internal battle and said nothing through it. He simply waited, arms extended, until she looped the reins together and passed them to him. He held them and braced her as she swung one leg over and then hopped down. His hands caught at her waist and he held her there for just a moment before squeezing her gently. He knew what the moment had cost her-if not in exact details, then close enough. She was reserved, by training or nature, and tender-again, by training or nature. Joining him on the ground gave him the advantage and they both knew it.

His smile was happy as he looped the reins over the mare's head and led both animals to the small brook he'd often splashed in as a young boy. His tutor had shown him this spot many many years ago and it was still a treasured place. A secret place.

It led to a place of even greater importance.

"It is roasting hot out today," he muttered as they snorted and shnuffled in the cold, shallow water. "Do you not care to take off your heavy wrap? There is..."

"No, thank you, My Lord," she smiled back. She pulled it closer around her under his sharp gaze.

"Here," he offered as the horses dipped their heads. He handed her a skin. "Water now. I have wine for our picnic lunch."

Loden smiled. "No amount of wine is going to get you what you want, My Lord. I come from a small estate in a less advanced country, but I'm not simple or stupid. Or easy."

Caspian smiled back. _Not easy at all, sweet lady_, he thought. It was inordinate how pleased he was by the show of backbone. "I can wait, Loden. I'm not going to press you for anything inappropriate. Except that you call me Caspian, of course. It's a nice name, really."

"It's scandalous, really," she countered.

"Caspian? _No_. It's Telamarine. I'm not the first Caspian, you know. There were-"

"I cannot call you by your given name, My Lord. It is unseemly."

His eyes twinkled. She doubted anyone could resist him long if he bent his will or his charm upon them. Both at once? A powerful weapon. "Only in private. Here it is not even half to noon and I've arranged for you to lose your party and have a day off. Just a day, Loden. For nothing special. Absolutely nothing. My comrades will lead the others on a wild chase down a different path where even last night we labored to lay footprints just the size of Benth and Gilgabar here. For luncheon they'll meet up with the wagons sent ahead and be able to dine on soft pillows beneath silk pavillions. And for you-" He lifted his arms and turned in a slow circle. "For you I offer the driads and the nyads to sing to you, all the worlds' sky as your shelter, and only the ground to judge your words and your actions. One request, My Lady. Just one, although in few more attempts I will be forced to decide you truly mean what you say and will not call me thusly. I want to be your Caspian."

Loden smiled softly at his grand tone and flowery words. Her regret was visible even as she sought to hide it with self-mockery. "I find that I truly cannot, My Lord. I just..._can't_." Her shoulders lifted and then dipped, her arms outspread. "It is a lovely name. Did your mother name you or your father?"

Caspian frowned and let out a breath. "Do you know, I don't know. I can't call you Lo?"

She shook her head. "No, My Lord. I believe I shall stand firm on that one."

"Then what is your full name, that when we are together-alone like this-I might call you something other than what all the others call you."

"Loden Graxis Bellina, My Lord," she told him, dipping into a curtsy.

His breath caught. His eyes were dark and serious when she straightened. His face was frozen in some soft expression she barely remembered. "Indeed you are," he whispered. "You are indeed, Loden. Grace and beauty, no matter the language. What a gift is a name like that. What fortelling, that the name should suit you so well."

She ducked her head, her face burning. "It is unneccessary, My Lord, to-"

Caspian closed the distance between them in two quick strides. He stopped her words with his fingertips, then caught her hands in his and kissed them. "You will say no more. If I choose to flatter you it is because I see truly. You would not argue with a king's divination, would you?"

"I know that part of my worth is that I am fair and shapely, My Lord," she argued. "You see no false modesty here. Nor do I desire complements. I had little enough to do with the forming of my face or figure."

"Would you that the beauty of them have passed you by?"

Loden shrugged. "I do not know. If by having them I can relieve some of the burden of my family's people then they have served their purpose, I suppose. But I get little pleasure in just having even features and clear skin."

"Do you find me pleasurable to look at?" he asked slyly. She saw the mischief in his eyes.

"Were you an imp in your childhood?" she asked with a laugh. "Yes, if you _do_ need the flattery, you are quite handsome. A fine, strong specimen of your kind-both man and race. I imagine your children will have your strong coloring and would find it cruel if your sons did not have your pretty lips and eyes."

Caspian's pretty lips curled in distaste. "Pretty?" he spat. "I have a noble jaw and aristocratic bone structure. I am a man after the lineage of my family. I am not, madame, pretty."

"Hmph," she murmured, turning away. "Take it as you will, your lips are indeed pretty. Your eyes as well. You are beyond handsome, My Lord. And I believe your looks would trasfer quite nicely to your daughters as well, although for their sakes I would hope that they didn't quite have your height. Marrying them to someone of shorter stature would be hard."

"You're quite tall yourself," he reminded her. "You should be grateful for my height."

"I am," Loden told him, swirling playfully. "It is most appealing, Your Grace."

"Loden," he growled. "I must demand that you call me Caspian. You're discussing my fine traits and breeding possibilities like I am some lily in a herbalist's garden. That alone deserves the privilege."

She shook her head and turned toward the horses to stow his water bottle. She took the opportunity to surreptitiously blot her lip and brow before turning back to him. He'd picked up a handful of sticks and tossed them into the water.

"Do you mind walking a bit?" he asked. "Give the horses a chance to rest?"

"Of course not, My Lord. I enjoy wandering very much, actually."

"There," Caspian smiled. "Is it so difficult to divulge just little bits of yourself?"

"Yes." Her voice was firm and brooked no argument.

He just shook his head as he grabbed her hand. "Come," he said instead. "There are stepping stones. We'll take them together."


	4. Chapter 4: Freedoms

Caspian X led both horses for a while as they wandered deeper into the forrest. It took little time for him to grow impatient with her continued discomfort.

"Loden! Take off the cloak!" he finally boomed out of a very companionable silence. She'd reached up with her free hand to once more dash away the moisture that formed on her brow.

"I'm fine-" she began.

Caspian dropped the horses' leads and reached toward her. She squeaked and jerked back.

"What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "Why would you needlessly suffer in this atmosphere?"

His own back prickled lightly with a heat that was not altogether unpleasant. But he'd long since shed the cloak he'd put on against the morning's damp chill.

"Trust me, Caspian," she scoffed. "What I've got on now is much better."

"Then enlighten me," he said. His brows neared his hairline and her use of his given name slipped right by him.

"No."

"Suit yourself," he muttered, turning away again. Within minutes she'd forgotten her resolve to ignore any and all effects of the stuffy wrap and had reached up to push sweaty strands of hair away from her face.

"Dammit," Caspian growled beneath his breath. "You _will_ take the damned thing off and you will take it off _now_."

Loden scrunched up her face at him as if she were gearing herself up to argue, then hissed between her teeth. "Fine. Turn around."

"What?!"

"Turn around. Now."

Caspian gave up reason and turned his back on her. He heard the soft slap of leather as she must have tucked the offending garment into a saddle bag and then stood waiting for her to release him from his bounds.

"Oh-fine. See?"

He moved to face her again. Her arms were akimbo, indicating that he look at her. He looked.

"What?"

She gestured toward herself, her long, slim hands sweeping down and out to indicate the soft lavender day dress.

"You don't like purple?" he asked. She was fetching. The pale satin skin of her face and neck was carried down to her shoudlers and decolletege. The tiny jewels on her earlobes only accentuated the graceful neck and dark, arching brows.

"You think this decent? Do you look around you at all?"

He frowned. He honestly couldn't tell if the dress was outmoded, but it seemed similar enough to what women wore around him all the time. He thought it charming. The color brought out the silver in her grey eyes. Tears swum there now, but he wondered if they weren't frustration rather than hurt. "I don't understand, Loden. Explain to me..."  
"Everything I wear, every style of every dress, every cut of every bodice is designed to make you notice me, Caspian," she spat. "_No one_ shows this much skin during the day. _No one._ And my hair is styled up to accentuate just how much skin there is between here and here," she gestured. Her hands flew from her waist to fully extend above her head.

"Loden, you are lovely. You have no shame to reveal in such a design. It is flattering. And I don't think it too overt. I believe that even members of my own household wear gowns thusly cut. There's no shame in being graced so."

"There is shame in being _dressed_ so. It's not as if I have a husband who takes pleasure in my looks and I in turn take pleasure in his desire. It is dirty and deceitful and _wrong_ to so entrap a man. To use your _body_ to gain entry into a position."

Caspian shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with your garb. Not that I see."

She groaned. "That is because you are a _man._ In fact, you are _the man_ these clothes were tailored for."

"The jacket is cut low, but you fill it nicely. And it is not so low as to draw undue attention. You _are_ beautiful. You're not dressed to appear beautiful. And your clothing, let alone your shape, has little to do with the wedding. It's not as if I would turn you away, were you old and ugly and cross. Our marriage is a sure thing. Our parents arranged for it to be certain."

She shook her head. "You don't understand the law, do you? With no living guardian and as recognized ruler of this land, you could free yourself from this wedding. It could be demanded of you only if your father lived or his proxy acted as your protector. My parents' deaths left me to my aunt and uncle. You have no one to please but yourself. You can still be rid of me and all the demands of the marriage contract."

Caspian reached out to her and drew her closer, rubbing her upper arms. "I will honor the agreement. I would even if I had kept my heart out of it. But, were I merely a stable boy in this land, I would not send you back with those people. As fate should have it, I am to be crowned with my father's crown and will take his title on my birthday. And the day after that I will marry you and pledge to you my love and my fidelity. Stop fearing other people. They hold no sway over you now. You're safe."

Loden's eyes defocused as he kept her in his grip. He watched her, a frown marring the regal brow.

"Do you so hate the jacket you're wearing?" he asked.

She nodded vacantly. "I am usually much more modest, My Lord."

"Fine. A deal. When we are alone I am to be Caspian. Yes?"

She frowned. "What is the deal?"

"New garb. Is it worth it?"

She nodded, but suspiciously. "How are you to find a seamstress or boutique out here? Do you keep a supply of women's clothing in your pack?"

He smiled and shook his head. Stepping back he stripped off first his vest, then outer tunic. "My undertunic will suit you beautifully as well, I think," he explained, pulling the garment over his head. He stood bare-chested before her, offering the light linen shirt.

Her smile ran over with her tears and she gave in to a rare physical display of emotion. In her gratitude she forgot propriety and hugged him. "You would give me the shirt off your back?" she cried.

He gently embraced her, rocking her a bit. "To make you happy I would give every layer of my skin and the blood in my veins, too," he told her. He took advantage of his opportunity and tilted her chin up, kissing her soft lips. The sensation of the rose-petal feature beneath his own was nearly enough to cause him to swoon. He quickly pulled back and swallowed down his desire.

"Tell me when you're ready," he said sharply, pulling his outer tunic back down over his lean, muscular frame. Loden watched him, lips pursed together, as the dark blue material covered his bare back. He immediately dragged on the vest as well.

"You won't peek?" she asked.

Caspian laughed. "Not unless you want me to. But you're the one who claims to modesty," he reminded her.

She laughed and ducked behind her stallion to unbutton the hated jacket of the day dress. She took a moment clad in just her chemise and skirt to fan her overheated skin before tugging on his shirt. Once clad she lifted the much-combed linen collar to her face and inhaled the scent of him. "I'm dressed," she murmured after the indulgence. She jerked at the over-long hem of the tunic once more as she debated whether she should have tucked it in. And she wondered if it wasn't the least bit sheer and if she should thank him and wear the cloak anyway. She'd decided against it when he approached the other side of the horse to judge the improvement.

"You look easier," he said at last.

"I feel it," she told him. Her hands were busy trying to restore order to her hair. The dressing and undressing had hopelessly loosened soem of the looped braids and with no mirror or helpmaid it was hard to tighten the design.

"Let it down," Caspian suggested.

"My Lo-"

"Eh."

She rolled her eyes.

"It is-"

"_Caspian_, it is..." Caspian prompted.

Another hiss and another eyeroll had his lips parting in laughter.

Still, she went with it. "_Caspian_, it is unseemly for a woman to wear a man's clothing and take down her hair for him and-"

"You're going to be Queen of Narnia," he reminded her gently. "It is for _you_ to decide what is proper for you or not. If your hair does not suit you, take it down."

She met his eyes and he watched with fascination as yards of it came tumbling. It had been divided into two sections, braided partway down, then broken into smaller braids to be woven together into the elaborate crowned affair she'd begun with.

"_Dear God_," he murmured at the sight of it. "Does that much hair not hinder your ability to think?"

"A woman's hair is her husband's glory," she explained. "It indicates that he can afford the servants to help wash and comb and condition it so that it stays silky and smooth. Soft-for him. She does not cut it less he bid her to and no man in my land bids a woman cut her hair. Not even the poorest pig farmer." She lifted one side of her mouth in a wry smile. "No matter the headaches or tangles."

Caspian's smile dropped from his face. He'd seen several members fo her party massaging their own necks or temples. Headache remedies had been called for almost daily. He slipped his knife from the sheath on his belt.

"Cut it," he ordered. "Unless it brings you great joy, cut as much as you want, whenever you want."

She blinked at him. "Do you not find it attractive?"

Caspian nodded. "You have amazing hair. It is soft and shiny-everything your uncle could desire it to be. I want no chains to bind you, no matter how civilized they appear. You will still be beautiful should you cut off an inch, a foot, or every bit of it. Cut what you like. Cut some now and some later and some more this evening before bed. Or tell me where you want it and I'll cut it for you. But don't wear a badge for your uncle's glory. And damn sure don't pain yourself for my vanity."

Loden bit her bottom lip and accepted the finely wrought knife. She slid her hand down one braid, seemed to consider, then slid it down a bit more. When she finished sawing at it more than a twenty inches fell slack in her hand. She studied the hair, then looked up at Caspian, a wide, innocent smile upon her face.

"Will you help me so that it's even?" she asked.

He nodded mutely and stepped around the stomping, chomping horse to assist her. He measure off the same amount on the other side, then took his time unbrainding and finger-combing the entire mass of her hair before trimming odd bits and ends as he saw needed it. He slid the knife back into place and shoved both hands into the waving mass of tresses, slight curls being teased out by the wind and the lessened weight. Loden sighed as his strong fingers found her scalp and massaged the lingering tension there and in her neck.

"Never again, do you understand me?" he whispered. "You will not put yourself through physical discomfort for a whim of fashion. Not unless it is you who deeply desires the result. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you," she whispered. She turned in his arms and laid gentle palms against his chest. "I needed today. I cannot thank you enough, no matter what may come of it," she told him.

He smiled and drew his hands around to cup her face. She watched him with wary eyes as he leaned forward to brush a quiet kiss against her mouth.

"We should head back," she told him as he withdrew. "It will be late when we return as it is. And there is much that will be questioned."

Caspian frowned. "We could stay here," he offered. "There are places I wanted to show you, hiding places for the treasures of my boyhood. Sacred places for the people who were here before mine." At her answering frown he rushed on. "There's food aplenty and more in the wood...I have kit to build a fire still. Your cloak will make a good enough blanket if I fashion a bed for you from the bracken..."

"Caspian, I...we...I can't...I want..."

He put a single finger to her lips. "I'm not asking you to bed with me tonight. I've waited eighteen years. I can wait two more weeks for our wedding. But I'd like to camp with you in this wood. Before we seal that bond, I want this night to see you beneath the stars and make the promises our parents spoke first. There is a place nearby-a magic place. It is sheltered enough and there is water and grazing for the horses. I'll lay a trap for tomorrow's meal and then we can just _be_...under the stars and part of the forest and of this earth. Please?"

She nodded. She was powerless to do otherwise. He may not demand it, but the boy that was to be her husband claimed that in her heart. "I have...There's more in my bags, Prince Caspian," she murmured. "Provisions, so there's no need to worry on that score. And blankets and water bottles."

Caspian forgot to chastize her for her breach of their agreement in his surprise. "You rode out prepared to spend the night with me?"  
She shook her head, her face void of expression again. "I rode out with the option of not riding back in, My Lord," she admitted in even tones. Her eyes met his, clear and unwavering.

His breath was shaky as he drew it in. He reached up to run an unsteady hand through his hair. "I'm astonished. I don't know whether to be angry that you would position me to help you escape or amused that I worried for you when you obviously didn't need my help."

She smiled at him then, a smile of true enjoyment, easy and free. Like any young girl she bounced lightly on her toes and let a giggle escape. "Don't be angry. I am telling you now, aren't I? There are two extra blankets-hidden in those beneath the saddles-plus some other things. You can be quite comfortable tonight, Your Highness. And very likely tinder and flint are among the packages."  
"You don't know?" He narrowed his eyes. "You had help. Runner. _Damn that man_," he hissed between his teeth. "I _promised_ him I'd handle things."

Loden giggled again. "Runner has his own mind set most of the time. Promises from a nobleman are like the chaffe of wheat. Better to see them and recognize them as useless than to miss one and recognize only its foul taste and texture in your mouth."

Caspian shook his head in disbelief. "This is the attitude you harbor?"

She shook her head. "Not me, My Lord. _Runner_. He has a great many colorful quotes about the nobility. You'll leave him be, won't you? After all, I didn't run away. I could, you know, I am quite skilled at woodscraft and could have hidden my trail for days."

The man before her reached out his hand to clasp her wrist. He drew her nearer. "My name is Caspian," he reminded her. He bent his face to hers and gently laid his lips upon hers again. He simply tested the touch of flesh on flesh, never moving to part the petal softness and taste her. It could wait. Shaking his head again he turned toward the animals and gathered their leads before gesturing for her to take his hand. "I am actually quite proud of you, Loden," he began. "I doubted that you had it in you to decieve. Why I don't know. You've obviously been trained to give others what they want to see and hear for many a year. It is second nature to you, I think, and we shall have to strive hard to overcome it. It pleases me that you are still enough your own person to have a part in planning a great escape from your fate."

"It would never have come to pass, My Lord," she remineded him. "There are too many whose fates are held in check while we play this game between us. In the end I must marry you. There is no other possible victory for me." He sqeezed her fingers even as her words struck blows to his heart. She shifted, linking her fingers between his and casting a glance his way. "You have no idea how grateful I am to the fates to find you as you are. I feel as if my mother and father must still be watching over me-I feel like the princess in a fairy tale of old!"

Caspian nodded mutely when she looked at him again.


End file.
